Abhijeet Dhakane

PhD Data Science and Engineering

I am a computational materials scientist working at the intersection of atomistic simulation, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. I earned my Ph.D. in Data Science and Engineering through the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee, with research conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. My work focuses on physics-informed and AI-driven approaches for nanoscale materials and next-generation memory and energy devices, integrating large-scale molecular dynamics, machine learning, and autonomous workflows, with particular interest in simulation-driven discovery and the mechanistic interpretability of scientific machine learning models.


Education

PhD in Data Science and Engineering
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Advisor: Ganesh P. / Bobby Sumpter
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
University of Texas at Arligton, Arlington, USA
Advisor: Ankur Jain
B.E. in Mechanical Engineering
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India

Academic Research Experience

Aug 2019 - May 2025
The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research (University of Tennessee Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Knoxville, TN, USA
Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences - Nano Theory Institute
Led the development of exascale multi-GPU MD and AI workflows for ferroelectric and 2D materials, enabling dynamics-by-design materials design and accelerated training on DOE-scale HPC systems.
Jan 2018 - Aug 2019
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
Graduate Research Assistant, Microscale Thermophysics Laboratory
Led molecular dynamics studies of Li-ion interfacial heat transport, achieving up to 250% improvement in thermal conductance through interface and monolayer design.
Sept 2018 - Dec 2018
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
DOE-ASTRO Intern, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences - Nano Theory Institute
Modeled electron-beam-driven defect dynamics and phase separation in metallic alloys to support atom-by-atom fabrication experiments.
Jan 2018 - Aug 2018
University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute, Arlington, TX, USA
Research Assistant, Institute for Predictive Performance Methodologies
Implemented in-situ structural health monitoring with a smart thin devices and supported clean-room microfabrication workflows for aerospace composite materials.
Jul 2015 - Jul 2017
Savitraibai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Project Assistant, Center for Modelling and Simulations
Applied classical and DFT-based simulations with HPC workflows, building automation and post-processing tools to improve modeling throughput.

Publications

A Graph Dynamical Neural Network Approach for Decoding Dynamical States in Ferroelectrics
Abhijeet Dhakane , Tian Xie , Dundar Yilmaz , Adri van Duin , Bobby G. Sumpter , P. Ganesh
Carbon Trends. 2023.
PDF Code
Smoky Mountain Data Challenge 2021 – An Open Call to Solve Scientific Data Challenges Using Advanced Data Analytics and Edge Computing
Abhijeet Dhakane , et al.
Springer International Publishing. 2022.
PDF
Molecular dynamics simulations of separator–cathode interfacial thermal transport in a Li-ion cell
Abhijeet Dhakane , Vikas Varshney , Juan Liu , Hendrik Heinz , Ankur Jain
Surfaces and Interfaces. 2020.
PDF
Surface, Interface, and Temperature Effects on the Phase Separation and Nanoparticle Self-Assembly of Bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5
R. H. Allaire , Abhijeet Dhakane , R. Emery , P. Ganesh , P. D. Rack , L. Kondic , L. Cummings , M. Fuentes-Cabrera
Nanomaterials. 2019.
PDF

Talks

Understanding Switching in Hexagonal Ferroelectrics by Combining Large-scale Reactive MD and Experiments
Abhijeet Dhakane , Alireza Sepehrinezhad , Kyle Kelley , Adri van Duin , P. Ganesh
APS March Meeting. 2024.
PDF
Understanding Dynamics of Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Oxides at the Nanoscale Using Graph Neural Networks on Reactive Force-Field Simulations
Abhijeet Dhakane , Tian Xie , Dundar Yilmaz , Adri van Duin , Bobby G. Sumpter , P. Ganesh
APS March Meeting. 2023.
PDF
Understanding Dynamics of Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Oxides at the Nanoscale Using Graph Neural Networks on Reactive Force-Field Simulations
Abhijeet Dhakane , Tian Xie , Dundar Yilmaz , Adri van Duin , Bobby G. Sumpter , P. Ganesh
OPRA Symposium, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 2023.
Unraveling Hidden Order and Dynamics in a Heterogeneous Ferroelectric System Using Machine Learning
Abhijeet Dhakane , P. Ganesh , N. Sivadas
Smoky Mountain Data Challenge. 2021.
PDF

Posters

Understanding Switching in Hexagonal Ferroelectrics by Combining Large-scale Reactive MD and Experiments
Abhijeet Dhakane , Alireza Sepehrinezhad , Kyle Kelley , Adri van Duin , P. Ganesh
CNMS User Meeting. 2024.

Academic Service

Reviewing

Nature computational science (Reviewer) 2025 - ongoing
Nature communications (Reviewer) 2024 - ongoing
Physica Status Solidi (B) (Wiley) (Reviewer) 2024 - ongoing
IOP Science - Physica Scripta (Reviewer) 2024 - ongoing
Physica Status Solidi - Rapid Research Letetrs (Wiley) (Reviewer) 2023 - ongoing
Physical Review X [Letters, B, Materials], (Reviewer) 2023 - ongoing

Collaborators

Aug 2020 - present
Prof. Adri van Duin at Penn State University
Distinguished University Professor, Penn State University
Aug 2022- present
Kyle Kelley at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Research and Development Associate
Aug 2020
Dundar Yilmaz at Alsym Energy
Materials Scientist
Aug 2020
Tian Xie at Microsoft Research
Principal research manager
Jan 2019 - Aug 2019
Vikas Varshney at Air Force Research Laboratory
Research Chemist

Press

Jun 7 2024

ORNL Review

Why Science ?